The ninth annual Global Citizen Kelowna kicked off with a media event Friday morning at the New Life Church on Harvey Avenue. It will encompass two weeks of celebrating the role of Kelowna’s citizens in international humanitarian efforts.

“It provides our community with the opportunity to engage citizens in thinking about our place in the world,” says Ron Cannan, MP for Kelowna-Lake Country.

“By sharing our stories with each other, we not only discover our own roots, traditions and connections, we inspire people – particularly our youth – to think of ourselves as global citizens.”

The event will feature a number of activities organized by local volunteers, through which they hope to bring awareness to the millennium development goals. These goals have been established by the United Nations as a target to reach by 2015. They also hope to promote what Kelowna people are doing internationally to help meet these goals.

One of the standouts of this year’s event will be a live action simulation of a village slum, complete with actors portraying real world conditions found in many countries.

“We want to help families understand and get awareness on what people have in other countries, but also how other people live in other countries,” explains Nico Deschner, a family pastor at New Life Church.

“The slum is meant to show the hardships of different countries and once they exit that area, other kiosks will be set up detailing the lives of others in counties around the globe.”

Cannan was also on hand to announce $38,200 in funding for the event. The Intercultural Society of the Central Okanagan received $26,200 from the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program and $12,000 in funding through Inter-Action, Canada’s Multiculturalism Grants and Contribution Program, administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.